Fred
by Janet Martini de La Ley
Summary: Movieverse. A cat wanders into Doc Ock's pier and is adopted by the lonely man, but fate continues to be cruel to him.
1. Lost & Found

Author's Note: the disclaimer is in my profile.

**Lost & Found**

Pier #56 was dark and gloomy. The wood it was built out of was aged and beginning to rot. Outside the rain poured hard and dripped through the roof, landing on Doc Ock, but his metal tentacles were protected by his trench coat. He lay on the cold floor with eyes closed, trying to sleep. His mind started to drift away when he heard it. _Meow_ He grunted and ignored it, but then it started again. _Meow Meow Meow_

"Who's there," he yelled. _Meow_

Suddenly he stood up and the coat fell off his extra limbs. He searched the place; surveying every corner, using his tentacles to move pieces of wood. After minutes of exploring he found the source of the noise. A small orange cat with a red collar had come in from the rain. It looked at Doc Ock, taking little steps towards him.

"Go away," Ock said to it. _Meow_ "Go away!" Then the cat abruptly ran to him and started rubbing against his leg, but Ock shook him off. "I'm warning you kitty. You better go home!" A drop of water hit his head which made him realized that his tentacles were exposed. He quickly covered himself again, and when he turned around the cat was still there. "I guess you can't go out there in the rain." _Meow_ "What am I doing talking to a cat?"

Doc Ock lay down again, and when he did the cat followed and settled next to him. Ock didn't shoo it away, instead he used a normal hand to pet the cat. Soon it began to purr, but it died away when they both fell asleep.

In the morning when Ock awoke the cat wasn't there, but later in the day he heard it again. _Meow Meow Meow_ Ock was busy working on his machine when he felt something against his leg. He looked down and there was that orange feline again. He used a tentacle to gently pick it up, and the cat didn't flinch. Ock brought it to his eyes level and scratched behind its ear.

"What's wrong fellow; don't you have a home," he asked it, "or a name?" He looked at the collar, but it didn't have a tag. "I'm sure you can find your way back home." He walked to the door of the pier, opened it, placed the cat outside and then slammed the door shut.

That night Doc Ock sat in his chair with his head in his human hands, deep in thought. 'Oh Rosy, if only you were here. If only…' _Meow _'If only I could see you again…' _Meow_ 'Not that again!' _Meow_ He looked up and cat was there.

"What do you want," Ock pleaded. "I have nothing to give you." The cat just continued to look at him. "Why do you have to look so miserable?" _Meow_

Doc Ock left the pier and stomped to a near-by grocery store. He tore the place apart and took a few things. Many people screamed and fled, and a clerk called the police, but before they arrived Ock had left. Soon Peter Parker passed by the scene and questioned a cop.

"What happened here?"

"Doc Ock happened."

"Really, Doc Ock robbed the store? How much money did he take," Peter asked.

"He didn't take any," the cop replied. "He only stole some sustenance, but it's really odd."

"Why?"

"Because most of what's missing is cat food."

-----

Days passed and the cat became Doc Ock's pet. At nights they would sleep together to keep each other warm. During the day while Ock was working the cat would either watch him or roam outside, but it never went too far from the pier. Ock barely thought about Rosy anymore; his mind was on the machine and his new friend. Since his unfortunate accident Ock had never felt happy, but having the cat around brought him some joy.

One night Ock was sitting in his chair and the cat was lying on his lap. He was running his fingers though its fur while it purred. "You know what," he suddenly said, "I just now realized that I haven't named you yet." The cat looked at him and Ock smiled. "How about… Felix. No, that's a stupid name. Well… how about Baxter!" The cat looked away. "You don't like that name either? Hum, let me think… Fred?" _Meow_ "You like it?" In response the cat licked his hand. _Meow_ "Good, that's your new name, Fred." _Meow Meow_ "Oh, I guess you're hungry. Ok Fred, I'll feed you."

Fred jumped off him and Doc Ock walked to where he kept the cat food. Fred followed, but then abruptly a board he stepped on broke and he tumbled into the river. _Meow! ... Meow!_

"What is it…oh my God, Fred!" Ock saw the hole in the floor and ran to it. When he looked down he saw his pet struggling to swim. "Hold on Fred!"

Quickly he used his tentacles to make the opening big enough for him to fit trough. Then his extra limbs held onto the edges and they lowered him into the water. Fred had already begun to go under, but Ock grabbed him before he sunk too far. Swiftly he carried Fred back to the pier and laid him down. Fred's body was limp and he could barely breathe.

"Please be ok," Ock said softly. "Please, please be ok."

Soon he gathered some old rags; using one to dry the cat and another to wrap him with. Ock held Fred to him, cradling the feline like a baby, and tears ran down his cheek as he did so. He cried himself to sleep with Fred in his arms.

The next thing he knew there was a feeling of sandpaper wiping against his face. Ock opened his eyes and were met with a pair of green ones. "Fred, you're alive!" He picked the cat up and hugged him tight. _Meow_ "You scared me! I thought you were going to die!" _Meow_ "I'll never let anything like that happen to you ever again!"……


	2. Missing

**Missing**

Harry Osborne was in his limo going to Oscorp; his mind still on Spider-Man. "Why doesn't that freak leave people alone? Why can't he just… What's wrong Bruce?" The vehicle had abruptly stopped, making Harry mad. He banged his fist on the driver's seat. "Why did you stop?"

"There's a cat in the street sir," Bruce calmly replied. "Did you want me to kill it?"

"No!" Harry rolled the window down and looked at the feline. "Hey, that kind of looks like MJ's cat." He stepped outside and made his way towards the feline. Harry picked it up and surveyed it closely. "That red collar, those green eyes; it has to be MJ's cat, Arthur." Harry returned to the limo with the cat in his arms. "Bruce, drive to MJ's apartment."

"But sir, you're already late for that meeting."

"They'll have to wait." _Meow_

When they reached the building Harry walked to the door holding the cat with one hand so he could push the call button with the other.

"Who is it," asked MJ.

"Harry. I have a surprise for you."

"Ok, come on up."

Harry climbed two flights of stairs to reach MJ's apartment. He knocked on the door and she quickly opened it.

"What's the… Arthur!" He handed the orange kitty to her and she hugged him close. "I've been so worried about him. Where did you find him Harry?"

"He was over by the Hudson river."

"Really, that far out? Well, someone must've taken care of him because he's been missing for almost two weeks and he looks well fed." Then the phone suddenly rang and she sighed. "That might be Peter again."

"Well, I'll see ya around MJ. I have to get to Oscorp." With that Harry left and MJ closed the door. Then she put Arthur down and picked up the phone.

On the other end was Peter who was just outside the Daily Bugle. The overjoyed MJ told him about Harry finding Arthur.

"Really, that's great," Peter replied. "Where did he find him?" She told him. "That's odd. You think that he was being fed? That's even odder… I have to go MJ, we'll talk later." Peter hung up and started to make his way to an alley.

'Maybe that person who was feeding him was Dr. Octavius,' he thought while making a quick change. 'That would be why he robbed that store of cat food.' Peter put on the Spider-Man mask and began to climb the nearest wall. 'If I can find where he's hiding maybe I can talk to him.' Once he reached the roof he looked over the edge, jumped and then started to web-sling.

-----

A few days had passed and Doc Ock knew that something happened to his beloved Fred. He would leave the pier door wide open for him to enter, and he even left a can of food open for him, but the cat was missing. Finally one night he decided to take action.

"I know Fred is out there somewhere," Ock said, "and I'm going to find him." He stormed out of the pier and started to scale the streets. Then after a few blocks he saw a sign taped to a pole. "A missing cat… That looks like Fred! ... Arthur, what kind of name is that for a cat? … Well, I'll go get him back."

Above Ock the wall-crawler had landed on a roof and was spying on him. 'I knew that if I watched that area along the river long enough I'd find him,' thought Peter. 'But, where's he going now?' Ock started moving again so Spidy followed. After a few minutes the buildings started to look familiar. 'It's as if he's going to… Oh no, MJ!'

Mary Jane was in her apartment waiting for someone to arrive, and when the buzzer sounded she went to the door. "Come on up John." _Meow_ "Are you hungry Arthur?" _Meow_ MJ went to the kitchen, but the cat stayed by the door. When it opened Arthur ran past the man and down the stairs.

"Hey MJ," said John Jameson, "Arthur just went out the door."

"Oh, he won't get out of the building. I'll go find him later." But as she said that a man who lived on MJ's floor opened front door, allowing the cat to exit.

Doc Ock was just about five blocks away from MJ's apartment when he heard a familiar voice. _Meow_ He looked across the street and there was an orange feline. _Meow_ "Fred," Ock shouted.

The cat began the cross the street when it happened. A truck was speeding by and didn't stop. It hit Fred and still kept going. The driver, who was short and stocky, felt the bump and then finally hit the breaks a few feet from the accident. Ock was in shock; he hadn't seen the truck like the driver didn't see Fred in the street. He made his way to the bloody corpse and fell to his knees. Fred's body was flat and stiff, and red fluid oozed out of his mouth.

The driver went to see what he had hit and saw the feline. "I'm so sorry," he started. "I swear I didn't… Ah!" Doc Ock had used a tentacle to pick the man up. Their eyes locked; the man's were fearful and Ock's were full of pain and rage. Ock threw the driver and then started to sob.

Spider-Man watched the whole scene from above. When Ock had thrown the man Spidy rushed to shoot a line of web and swing down to catch him; he was successful. Then he brought the driver to his vehicle and told him to drive off. After the truck was gone Spidy turned to Doc Ock; he had removed his shirt and covered the cat with it.

'Poor guy,' thought the web-head. 'Everything he seems to loves dies; his wife, his dreams, and now his pet.' Ock slowly started to walk away, and in the other direction police sirens began to get louder and louder. When they came to the spot where the incident occurred Spidy told them what happened and then ran off.

-----

All that night Doc Ock sat on the floor in his pier crying and holding the bundle that contained his lost friend. The blood had soaked through the cloth and stained his hands, but he didn't care. Tears clouded his vision, but he made no effort to wipe them away.

"I could've saved you," he uttered. "I could've saved you, but I didn't. I let you down, just like I let Rosy down. You're with her now. I killed you, I killed you!" Next he went into another crying fit and couldn't continue to talk. Finally, after hours of mourning, Ock went to the hole where Fred had fallen through and dropped his body in the river. "Farwell Fred," he managed to say. "I'll never forget you."

_**Fin**_

Author's Note: this was written in the memory of my first cat Fred (1994-2002).


End file.
